Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including leaked Galaxy S25 Ultra specs, S24 Fan Edition pricing, Pixel 9 Pro Fold design interview, OnePlus 13 confirmation, Retroid Pocket 5 launch, Google One Lite preview, and Android launcher complaints.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Android in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Apple news here on Forbes.
Samsung Galaxy 25 Ultra Camera Specs
The expected launch of the next Galaxy S handsets may be four months away, but details on the big changes are starting to appear. As always, the camera will be an area where the South Korean company will be looking to beat the competition, and the S25 Ultra will not be an exception:
“According to the well-known tipster Ice Universe, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will receive an all-new 50-megapixel ultrawide camera featuring a brighter F/1.9 aperture lens. This upgrade represents a significant improvement from the 12-megapixel version found on the Galaxy S24 Ultra and should dramatically increase detail in ultrawide photos, especially in close-up macro shots.”
(Forbes).
The Fan Edition Gets More Enticing
Before the Galaxy S25 series debuts, one last S24 handset is expected. The Fan Edition models have always targeted a lower price while maintaining high specifications. The latest leaks around the Galaxy S24 FE price have energised the community:
“On X/Twitter, a new post from @MysteryLupin claims that Samsung will launch the Galaxy S24 FE’s 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant at €749. That’s €50 less than what the previous report had suggested. Furthermore, the tipster says the company will price the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant of the device at €809.”
(SamMobile).
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold Design Decisions
I had the chance to sit down with two of the Product team behind the second Fold from Google to talk about the design, hardware, and why it was essential to be a 9 Pro Fold and not a Fold 2:
“To us, it’s really important that this is a Pixel 9 Pro device. This device is for the consumer who wants the most from their phone and wants that next level of performance. The Nine Pro Fold is for that type of person: who wants the biggest screen on a phone, the thinnest foldable, and all of the great things? We built this phone, and it aligns to the Pixel 9 Pro.”
(Forbes).
The OnePlus 13 Is Coming
Writing on Weibo, OnePlus president Li Jie Louis confirmed that the next OnePlus flagship—the presumptively named OnePlus 13—will launch in October. Whether this is a Chinese only variant or a global model remains to be seen. In previous years OnePlus has released the former a few months before the latter:
“The latest generation of flagship chips to be launched next month is operated by a star team that once designed epoch-making PC chips. For the first time, it adopts a fully self-developed dual-core architecture to achieve all-round leapfrogging and leadership in mobile platform performance and achieve epoch-making performance experience.”
(Android Authority).
Retroid’s Latest Gaming Handheld
Orders are being taken for the latest Android-powered gaming handheld from Retroid. The Android-powered device, which runs in landscape mode in a similar way to the Nintendo Switch, is one of the first to run a Snapdragon chipset, along with several features gamers look for:
“Additionally, Retroid has included an active cooling solution to keep the Pocket 5’s chipset cool under high load. Moreover, the Snapdragon 865 provides Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity; however, Retroid has seemingly disabled the chipset’s modem. On top of that, the Pocket 5 features 3D Hall effect joysticks, analogue triggers and interchangeable button layouts.”
(NotebookCheck).
Testing Google One Lite
A new subscription offer for what many see as a core Android service is now on sale. Google One Lite sits underneath the first “Google One Basic” that many consumers are on, offering double the free storage. It’s not widely available yet; it appears to be being tested in India:
“The new Lite tier, currently on offer with a one-month free trial, provides up to 30GB of cloud storage for Google Photos, Google Drive, and Gmail, doubling the initial 15 GB users get free just for signing up.
Unlike Google One’s existing paid tiers, the new Lite subscription can’t be shared with other users—not that 30GB of storage would be enough to be worth sharing with friends and family anyway.”
(Forbes).
And Finally…
Third-party app launchers are popular apps across the Android ecosystem, but Google has not opened up some of the key tools developers need to create a smooth experience. Now, the developers behind Smart Launcher, Niagara, Nova Launcher, and Lawnchair are working together to challenge Google to open up the gesture-based APIs
“Custom launchers routinely fall back on the archaic three-button navigation as key aspects of gesture navigation falter, stutter, or even hang randomly. This is because the default system launcher insists on managing app opening/closing animations and the “Recents” screen. Google does not grant third-party launchers access to the QuickStep APIs for customizing the Recents app screens.”
(Android Headlines).
Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course, read the sister column in Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, get in touch!
